In the Netherlands, Rijk Zwaan has revealed that its net sales for the 2015/16 financial year grew 14 per cent to €388m, as it "continues to pursue a strategy of autonomous growth".

The De Lier-based group noted that virtually all crops and almost all countries in which Rijk Zwaan is active contributed to the year-on-year growth.

"The turnover increase is partly due to the growing global need for high-quality vegetable seeds," the group reported. "Rijk Zwaan develops varieties for 25 different vegetable crops and sells the seeds produced from them in more than 100 countries."

Operating profit for the 2015/16 financial year was €85m and net profit amounted to €72m, Rijk Zwaan confirmed.

In the past financial year, a new subsidiary was established in Greece – Rijk Zwaan Hellas – while the company invested some €120m in research and development, equivalent to around 30 per cent of revenue, of which a "significant part" was spent in the Netherlands.

"Rijk Zwaan expects the demand for high-quality vegetable seeds to continue to rise, partly as a result of world population growth," the group added. "In order to capitalise on this and to further strengthen its market position, Rijk Zwaan will continue to invest heavily in the years ahead.

"In the current financial year, the investments will be focused primarily on laboratories, offices, greenhouses and machinery. Over the next five years the company plans to invest €250m, of which approximately €150m will be spent in the Netherlands.

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